Musical instrument mouthpiece



June 1951 s. M. WILDER 2,557,489

" MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MOUTHPIECE Filed Jan. 17, 1948 Patented June 19, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,557,489 MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MQUTHPIECE Samuel M. Wilder, Philadelphia, Pa. Application January 17, 1948, Serial No. 2,856

2 Claims. (Cl. 84-398) My invention relates to mouthpieces of wind instruments of cornet or bugle type.

A purpose of my invention is to facilitate the playing of cornets, bugles and similar instruments by persons having artificial teeth.

A further purpose is to assist the normal player of a bugle, a comet or the like in more accurate and easy attainment of high notes without like to the lips through the employment of a lip anchoring bead and recess inside the bore'adjoining the face anchoring abutment of the mouthpiece.

Further purposes appear in the specification and in the claims.

In the drawings I have chosen to illustrate one only of the numerous embodiments in which my invention appears, choosing the forms shown from the standpoints of convenience in illustration, satisfactory operation and clear demonstration of the principles involved.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved mouthpiece.

Figure 2 is a rear end elevation.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section of Figure 2 on the line 3-3.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic partially sectional elevation showing the position of the lips of a player.

Figure 5 is an elevation of a mouthpiece connected to a horn.

Figure 6 is a perspective showing the horn and mouthpiece in position for playing.

In the drawings like numerals refer to like parts.

Describing in illustration but not in limitation and referring to the drawings:

Players of wind instruments such as the comet and bugle find that the comfort and health of the lips is frequently a limiting factor both to the inexperienced player in practicing and to the experienced player in both practicing and performing. The effect upon the lips often has serious consequences, especially under some conditions of temperature and precipitation in outdoor playing, and when the player is out of practice or is called upon for long sustained performances.

I have discovered that the normal mouthpiece used with the bugle and cornet is ill-adapted to favor the lips of the player.

In my improved mouthpiece it is not only possible to obtain comparative lip comfort over extended periods of playing even by inexperienced players, but it is possible to attain higher notes more easily. and with greater assurance of accuracy.

In connection with the manipulation of the mouthpiece by the lips, the teeth have in the prior art played an important part and many experienced players have found great difiiculty in continuing to play after they have been equipped with artificial teeth. It has generally been recognized that a player having artificial teeth experiences much greater difficulty in the lip contact and positioning for playing the bugle and cornet.

I have discovered that by my improved mouthpiece this difliculty is overcome, and a player having artificial teeth can often achieve the same dexterity and play with the same ease as a player having natural teeth.

The mouthpiece III of the present invention has a large end I I which is located adjacent the face in playing, an opposite small end I2 which makes contact with the horn or other prolongation, and an internal bore I3 connecting the two. The mouthpiece is usually externally tapered at I4 toward the small end to engage the horn.

As in prior art practice the bore begins at a face engaging abutment I5 which is annular and in normal prior art practice would be engaged by the lips. A converging portion It is located toward the small end with respect to the face engaging abutment, followed by a throat I! and a diverging portion I8.

Between the converging portion I6 and the abutment I5 is located an internal elongated straight annular lip engaging bead I9 adjoining the abutment followed by a continuously curved internal annular lip gripping recess 20 beyond, so that there is a reverse bend gripping portion 2| on the face of the recess beyond the bead.

The mouthpiece may be used with any suitable horn such as a bugle or cornet, but I prefer to illustrate it associated with a horn of the character of my U. S. Patent 1,763,336 which has a stem 22 telescoping over the small end of the mouthpiece and a flare 23 diverging beyond. The hollow stem 22 is preferably tapered to permit gripping on the outside of the tapered portion Id at the mouthpiece.

In operation, the player will normally extend the lips at 24 inside the bead to engage the bead at the top and bottom and in many cases all around. The end of one or both lips will extend at 25 into the recess 20 and the tip of the lip will engage the reverse wall 2| at least at one point, usually the top, and permissibly at various points around the recess.

This anchorage of the lips to the mouthpiece as indicated in Figure 4 permits assured playing of high notes without discomfort and relieves the player from the disadvantage which he may Inasmuch as the musician, handicapped by having to use a full set of artificial teeth, can, by using this improved mouthpiece attain the same results as a musician who-still has-natural teeth; also by using my improved mouthpiece a musician who still retains natural teeth will find it easier to play than instruments equipped with mouthpieces formerly used.

I have also found that my improved-mouthpiece can be satisfactorily used when made of plastic material.

In view of my-invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in theart, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A mouthpiece for a wind instrument of bugle or cornet typehaving a large end, a small end and a longitudinal bore between the two ends, an annular face-engaging abutment at the large end, walls forming a straight internal lipengaging bead in the bore adjoining the abutment, Walls forming a continuously curved anchoring recess in the bore beyond the bead having a reverse curve with respect to the bead, walls forming a converging portion of the bore beyond the recess, walls forming a throat in the bore beyond the converging portion, and walls forming a continuously diverging portion immediately beyond the throat extending to the small end.

2. A mouthpiece for a wind instrument of bugle or cornet type having a large end, a small end and a bore extending between the ends, a faceengaging annular abutment at the large end, a straight elongated non-converging lip engaging bead in the bore adjoining the abutment, walls forming a reversely curved lip anchoring recess beyond the bead and extending radially outwardly of the beadand walls forming successive converging, throat and immediately continuously diverging portions in the bore beyond the recess.

SAMUEL M. WILDER.

REFERENCES CITED file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,740,013 Gulick Dec; 17, 1929 2,302,492 .Dobie Nov. 17,1942

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 7,677 Great Britain Apr. 16, 1895 

